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TracTrix Manual





TracTrix 5
Software Manual















Trix Systems AB
Sodra Gubberogatan 8,
416-63 Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Phone: +46-31 337 90 90
Fax: +46-31 337 90 99
Email:
support@trixsystems.se

Trix Systems, Inc.
68 Smith Street,
Chelmsford, MA 01824-1711, USA
Phone: +1-978-256-4445
Fax: +1-978-256-9593
Email:
support@trixsystems.com


Copyright Trix Systems Inc. and Trix Systems AB, 2005. All rights reserved. Manual Rev 5.5 Legal Notice and Disclaimer
Nothing from this manual may be reproduced, transferred, copied or translated to any language, in any form or by any means for any
purpose. Trix Systems does not make any guarantees, neither expressed nor suggested which includes all implied guarantees, that the
program will work properly when operated in a careless way or if the system does not meet the system demands. Trix Systems disclaims
any responsibility of direct or indirect damage that may be caused by loss of information, computer standstill or any other loss of data or
any damage that may be caused by the program.
Licenses and Trademarks
Trix Systems, Trix RasterServer, Trix ImageMaker, Trix Organizer, TracTrix and TracTrix are trade marks of Trix Systems AB and Trix
Systems, Inc. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation. All other trade names referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Trix Systems reserves the right to change and improve the product. All examples and symbols used in the manual are made up and Trix
Systems disclaims all responsibility for any resemblance.
CAUTIONS
File formats are not standards. Variations of individual file formats exist and formats continuously evolve. Any two files sharing a
common file suffix or format may not contain identically structured data. Where the software described in this manual is used to open,
display, print, create or otherwise manipulate or transfer files it is the user's sole responsibility to inspect the results in order to assure
accuracy and fitness for purpose. Trix Systems cannot be held liable for any omissions, additions or changes in content. The existence of
variations in any format means that different software applications and computer systems, regardless of vendor, may display or print the
same file differently. We recommend that you establish and employ procedures to assure yourself that the information contained in your
files is presented with the integrity and consistency necessary for your purposes.
Other Trix software
To batch convert CAD files to rasters or PDF we offer Trix RasterServer. And to archive and manage your files for easy retrieval we offer
Trix Organizer. We also have software to convert vector PDFs to DXF. Details of these and other Trix software can found at our Web site
www.trixsystems.com
or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Tools menu in TracTrix.
CONTENTS

Section 1: Introduction............................................................................................................................. 1
The difference between raster and vector files .................................................................................................1

Installation............................................................................................................................................................2

Quick Starts .........................................................................................................................................................2

FAQs.......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Section 2: Tutorials................................................................................................................................... 4
Raster to Vector Conversion ..............................................................................................................................4

Converting text to vector text ...........................................................................................................................12

Converting color images ...................................................................................................................................15

DWG/DXF/HPGL vector to raster conversion...............................................................................................17

Converting to PDF saving and emailing.......................................................................................................18

Section 3: Reference ............................................................................................................................... 19
Definitions ..........................................................................................................................................................19

Table of Functions and Icons............................................................................................................................19

General functions...............................................................................................................................................24

Raster specific functions ...................................................................................................................................35

Vector specific functions ...................................................................................................................................49

Advanced Functions ..........................................................................................................................................57

Scales and Scaling..............................................................................................................................................58

Other topics........................................................................................................................................................60

Appendices .............................................................................................................................................. 64
Appendix A - Supported formats .....................................................................................................................64

Appendix B - Inch to mm conversion table for pen files................................................................................69

Appendix C: Troubleshooting ..........................................................................................................................70

Index........................................................................................................................................................ 72 1
Section 1: Introduction
TracTrix 5 provides the CAD user with a multipurpose application for

Converting raster images such as scans to editable CAD vectors
Converting DWG, DXF and HPGL files to PDF and raster images
Converting from one raster format to another
Viewing and marking up
Printing
Raster image editing

The manual is divided into 3 sections: Section 1 introduces the software and provides quick-start
instructions; Section 2 provides Tutorials; Section 3 is the reference section which describes functions
in more detail.
The difference between raster and vector files
TracTrix handles and converts between two different types of image files. It is important to understand
the difference because each type contains different information.
The first type is the raster image, produced when you scan a document or when you take a screen shot
of a computer screen. It is usually a single layer of information stored in the computer file as rows of
dots.
The second type is the vector image. This can be a DWG or DXF file created in a CAD application
such as AutoCAD, or an HPGL file (usually with the extension .PLT) created by a plotter driver in a
CAD application. Vector files can contain more information than raster files. There may be multiple
layers and views in a single vector file. And vector files may use font descriptions stored elsewhere on
your computer as TrueType or AutoCAD SHX fonts. One vector file may call other vector files to
display as part of the overall image. These are called external references or x-ref files.
TracTrix enables you to simultaneously open raster and vector files, and toggle between them. It creates
a perfect tracing environment, from prepping the raster image to precise vector editing for a near CAD-
perfect file. The tools and functions available are many, yet all simple to use. The tools will differ
according to the type of file that is open and active. 2
Installation
The zipped archive you received contains four files: TTV5US.exe, TSLM5US.exe,,
TracTrixManual.pdf (this manual), and TrixActivationManual.pdf.
These instructions are for a single-user install. (If you have purchased a mu